Louisville baseball is not ready to lose coach Dan McDonnell

While acknowledging baseball coach Dan McDonnell’s candidacy for the opening at Mississippi State Monday night, the University of Louisville appears prepared to step up to the plate to keep him.

"We are well aware that Mississippi State is actively recruiting some of the top baseball coaches in the nation and understand why Dan is one of them,” athletic director Vince Tyra said in a prepared statement. “I was in Lubbock with the team for the NCAA Regional and will continue to be in regular contact with Dan to assure him that we want him to remain in Louisville."

Federal tax forms recently released by Vanderbilt University show that head coach Tim Corbin received more than $2.3 million in total compensation in 2016. TCU coach Jim Schlossnagle, who withdrew from the Mississippi State search Sunday, was reportedly making about $1.5 million per year before any new salary increase.

In an interview with Courier Journal last month, McDonnell insisted he was not looking for another job, but said, “It would be silly to say never.” He called speculation about other jobs, “flattering in one sense, but in the other sense, you say, ‘Wait a second, we’ve got a great program here.”

“Maybe one day my name won’t come up, but maybe I’m not coaching as well when that happens,” he said. “Maybe some day we’ll be that kind of baseball program where it won’t come up, but we’ve probably got to win a national championship or two and we’ve probably got to do some more things here just to prepare for the future.”

McDonnell has led U of L to four trips to the College World Series in his 12 seasons, compiling a record of 552-221 (.714). Formerly an assistant coach at the University of Mississippi, he has been a popular candidate for the Mississippi State job since the February resignation of Andy Cannizaro.

Though Mississippi State athletic director John Cohen is on record that the coach he hires will have made trips (plural) to the College World Series, interim coach Gary Henderson (formerly of Kentucky) likely strengthened his case Monday when his Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round with an 8-1 victory over Oklahoma.

“You really kind of have to ignore everything that’s out there, if you’re going to do a good job with these guys,” Henderson said following Monday’s game. “Our players deserve our best from our coaching staff, and if I’m worried about the latest rumor or Twitter or anything that comes my way, then I think that’s going to compromise my ability to be effective as a leader, a coach and teacher.

"We just don’t have time for that. Our job is to do a great job with these guys right here.”